New Beginnings
by queenofhyrule
Summary: "What are you going to do, Gale? Wait on her for forever? Keep playing her stupid little games until you're completely broken? Maybe you should just move on, because it's pretty clear that she has." Maisie Harpwelle befriends Gale, and with the 3rd Quarter Quell in progress and the Capitol getting more strict with each day, maybe they're exactly what each other needs. Gale/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, so after going to see Mockingjay: Part 1 on the opening night, my love for this series has been rekindled. Not that it ever left, I just forgot how much I really love it. So what do I do with the things I love the most? Write fanfictions! And though I am a VERY hardcore Peeta/Katniss shipper, I do love Gale too. And I think he deserves love. And I love OCs soo… Yeah well, here's my attempt at writing something. **

**Chapter 1**

"Please, please, _please_ can I come with you Maisie?" The tiny five year old pleaded, looking up at me with her big green eyes. The image of tiny Ginny, with her worn out dress and pigtails, being in a place as vile as The Hob nearly made me laugh. I kneeled down and put my hands on her shoulders.

"Not today, Gin. Maybe another day." She clearly didn't like this answer, and made that well known by crossing her arms and stomping her foot.

"But you always say that!" She whined. I grinned and nodded. "And I'm going to keep saying that until I you stop asking," I told her. "Why don't you ask papa if you can go down the street and play with Posy? You can take Miss Molly and you two can enjoy the nice weather while it lasts."

Ginny thought about it, and then deemed that it was a good idea. "Papa? Papa!" She yelled, running into the other room. I heard her ask, and then squeal with delight when he said yes. She ran back to me, her doll Molly in one hand and our father's hand in the other. I stood up and smiled at him. He smiled back, and wrapped me up in a hug. I barely reached his chest, he was so large.

The Gentle Giant is what everyone who knew him called him. He was tall, possibly one of the tallest men in the Seam, and he was very buff. It was always a sight when he and my mother were together, because she had been so tiny. People would always stare when they walked together in public, but they never minded.

But despite his scary demeanor, he was a total softie. He was kind and always had a joke to tell. Despite the fact that he was so large and needed plenty of food to keep his energy up, he always made sure that my sister and I had enough to eat. I can remember countless days where he would carry an empty lunch pail out the door when he headed to the mines for work, thinking he was fooling me. He never did though, I always knew there was nothing in there.

"Remember Maise, just get a bit of firewood. Food is more important right now. It shouldn't be too cold this week, so we should be able to get away with not lighting a fire. And also, please be safe." His gray eyes were filled with worry, as they usually were. His face was dominated by wrinkles, even though he was relatively young.

"Don't worry papa, I'll be fine. Darius is meeting up with me and we're going together. I'll be fine." I kissed him softly on the cheek and smiled as some of the worry on his face melted away. Darius was a Peacekeeper, and one of my good friends. I'm pretty sure my father was hoping that he and I would get married, because doing so would mean a slightly better life for me. But Darius was a total flirt, and he could never settle on one girl. He was very attractive though, I'd give him that.

"Alright Gin, are you and Molly ready to go?" I frowned when I noticed she wasn't wearing her jacket. "No, you're not. Go get your jacket on," I ordered. Ginny looked like she was about to protest, but I gave her a pointed look and she defeatedly grabbed it and put it on.

"But what about Molly? She's going to be cold too, and she doesn't have a jacket!" She held up the tattered doll as if it would start speaking to me to tell me that she too was cold. I took it from her and stuffed it in my satchel.

"There! Now she'll be warm." I stuck my hand in my other pocket and fingered the small coin purse, just to make sure it was still there. Satisfied, I was ready to go. "Alright, let's go. Bye papa." I gave my father one last hug and then stepped back so that Ginny could say her goodbyes. I chuckled at the sight of her hugging my father's leg because that's all she could reach. He ruffled her hair and sent us out the door with a smile.

In the distance I saw a figure jogging towards us. As it got closer, messy red hair and a freckled face became visible. A smile instantly spread across my face as I realized who it was.

"Wow, Darius, you're early! That's surprising," I said as he reached me. He held up a finger, signaling for me to wait, and then put his hands on his knees to catch his breath. Once he was able to breathe properly again, he straightened up and gave me his famous boyish smirk.

"You know I just couldn't wait to see that gorgeous blonde hair and those mystical green eyes, darling. That's few and far between in these parts, making them all the more beautiful," he said, winking. I rolled my eyes but still had to suppress the blush that was creeping up on my cheeks. I ran my hands through my light hair, thinking of how much it stood out in the Seam. I was born and lived in the Merchant section until my mother passed away after Ginny was born, so we both had blonde hair and green eyes, as opposed to the dark hair and gray eyes of everyone else in the Seam. We weren't the only ones though; Prim Everdeen and her mother also had the appearance of a Merchant.

"Red hair and brown eyes isn't too common either!" I said, defending myself. He grinned.

"Yes, well I was the only one here blessed with it because I'm the only one who can make it look so good, babe." I scoffed and rolled my eyes.

Darius looked past me and at Ginny. His boyish smirk turned into a sweet smile and he opened his arms wide. "Ginny! How's my favorite little troublemaker?" He asked, as she ran to him and he enveloped her in his arms.

She pulled away and jumped up and down excitedly, then grabbed his hand and started yanking him down the street towards the Hawthorne's, blabbing his ear off. I smiled and followed behind, watching the two.

With papa at the mines twelve hours a day, six days a week, Darius sort of stepped in. Not necessarily as father, nobody could ever fill his shoes, but more as a big brother. Ginny loved being around him, because he always told her wonderful stories and played with her. I also enjoyed having him around, because he was really the only friend I had. Even though he was older than me by a few years, we had spent a lot of my childhood playing together until he became that age where he didn't want to be seen with a younger girl. But we were still friends in secret. And once he because a Peacekeeper, a few years after my mother passed away, he would bring us food once a week. It was a small portion, but it really did mean the difference between living and starving to death.

When we reached the Hawthorne household, Hazelle was already outside, hanging some clothing on a line. It was warm enough so that the wet clothes would not freeze from being outside. Vick and Rory, her two youngest sons, were running around, chasing each other with sticks. Posy was playing with a doll on the small porch. Gale, the eldest son, was nowhere to be seen.

Hazelle looked over at us, and her eyes landed on Darius. Knowing he's a Peacekeeper, her face paled. He just laughed and held up his hands. "No worries, I'm just with these two this" morning."

Her face softened again and she smiled. She hung one more shirt on the line and then stepped down from the small stool she had been standing on. She walked over to us. "Well good morning! Posy, Ginny is here to play!" She called over her shoulder. The small girl looked up and immediately her face brightened. She jumped up and ran over to Ginny.

"Ginny! Let's go play with my dolls!" She said eagerly, grabbing onto Ginny's hand and tugging. Ginny laughed and nodded and began to run off before she stopped abruptly. "Wait! Molly!" She exclaimed, turning to me.

"Of course! How could I forget," I said, digging into my bag to grab her doll. I handed it to her and she snatched it out before quickly running up to the porch to join Posy. Their innocent laughs brought a smile to my face.

"So what are you two up to today? Staying out of trouble I hope?" Hazelle asked, raising her eyebrows. Darius grinned.

"But where's the fun in that, Mrs. Hawthorne?" Hazelle rolled her eyes.

"Please, don't call me that. I feel old enough as it is. Hazelle is fine." Darius grabbed her hand and placed a kiss on it.

"Alright then, Hazelle. I will remember that," he said smoothly, eying her. Her face turned bright pink and she pulled her hand away, laughing nervously. Darius turned to me and waggled his eyebrows.

"Ah, such a ladies man," I scoffed, rolling my eyes. He slung an ar."

m around my shoulder.

"Well the only lady I want likes to play hard to get." I shrugged his arm off but grinned. He returned my grin before I turned back to Hazelle.

"We're just headed up to The Hob to get some wood and food," I told her. She nodded knowingly.

"I believe that's where Gale is right now. Either that or out with Katniss, as he usually is on his days off."

I nodded, but stayed silent. I've never really talked to Gale, but I felt bad for him. It was clear to everyone who even saw him that he was in love with an unavailable woman, Katniss Everdeen. She was one of the two victors of last year's Hunger Games and she was dating Peeta Mellark, the other victor. There were rumors that the love between them was and is just an act, but I find it hard to believe that two people could go through so much together and not develop some type of feelings for each other. Though if they were really in love, they were really bad at showing it. I hadn't seen Peeta and Katniss together since they returned from the games.

"Well if we run into him, we'll be sure to say hi. But we probably should get going, blondie," Darius said, looking at his watch. I assumed he had Peacekeeper duties to attend to later in the day.

"Yes. Well, I'll be back to pick up Ginny later. If she starts to act up, just send her home. My father should be there all day," I told Hazelle. She just laughed.

"I'm sure Ginny will be fine, as she always is, don't worry. But I still might stop by to say hi to Cyril. It's been awhile," she said.

"I think he'd like that," I told her, smiling. I looked at Ginny, who was deeply interested in her game with Posy. "Be good, I'm leaving!"

She barely acknowledged me, but I tried to not take it personally. Darius and I waved one last time to Hazelle before heading off towards The Hob.

We walked in silence for awhile, the only noise being the crunching of gravel underneath our boots. Everything around us appeared gray, but that's only because it actually was. Being the coal mining district, coal dust had settled into every single inch, every single nook and cranny possible. I hated it, because it took what little beauty we had away. Darius glanced over and saw me admiring our surroundings.

"Ah yes, District Twelve really is beautiful, isn't it? You got your dust, you got some more dust and - what's that over there? Even more dust!"

I burst out into laughter at the look on his face. A pride smile formed on his lips because he had managed to make me laugh.

"You know, nobody has work tomorrow. You should spend some time with your dad. Get him outta that tiny house. I'm sure with him being so big and all he's sick of spending his free time cramped up in there," Darius told me. I looked up at him, confused.

"What do you mean? Why does nobody have work?" I asked. His brown eyes bore into mine.

"The Victor's Tour starts tomorrow. The Capitol will be here to film us so I guess we gotta look happy or something." He shrugged. Of course! How could I forget about that!

"I think I'll go hunting early tomorrow morning then, and then spend the afternoon with him. Thanks for the heads up Dar," I said, smiling. Darius smiled back and squeezed my shoulder.

On our journey to The Hob we passed the notorious Cray's house. Cray was a Peacekeeer who was known for paying women to have sex with him. I was surprised to see a few women already lingering outside of his house, waiting for him. I looked away quickly and tried to not think about what those women were doing. I wasn't disgusted for them, no, I just felt awful that they didn't think they had any other choice for making money.

Once we passed Cray's house, the old coal warehouse came into view. On the outside, it looked completely deserted. But all of the residents of District Twelve knew that wasn't really the case. Inside was the black market, where people sold and traded all of the items that were deemed illegal by the Capitol, or illegally obtained items, such as hunted game, wood that was cut without permit and of course, alcohol.

Darius stopped suddenly, causing me to nearly run into him. He turned around to look at me, and there was a very serious expression on his face. My stomach dropped because I thought something serious was wrong.

"I need you to promise me something Maisie," he said quietly. I raised my eyebrows slowly, confused.

"Yeah, anything. What?"

He sighed and looked all around before returning his gaze back to me. "I need you to promise that if anything ever happens to me, or your father, just.. just promise me that you won't go to Cray. Please."

I stared at him for a minute, and then began to laugh. I started out slow but then I couldn't stop laughing. Darius looked very confused.

"I.. I thought it was something serious! I thought.. I don't know! But that? Of course I would never go to Cray! Besides, I don't need to. Nothing is going to happen to you or my father. Okay?"

Darius opened his mouth to speak but I cut him off. "Okay?" I asked again, more persistent sounding this time. He closed his mouth and nodded, giving me a small smile. It looked as though he was still worried, but I figured he would get over it.

"Thank you for being concerned about me though. I guess Darius Thorne does have a sweet side to him," I said before leaning in and planting a quick kiss on his cheek. When I pulled back, his face was almost as red as his hair. I laughed and rolled my eyes, continuing on toward The Hob. He stood there, looking bewildered, before he ran to catch up with me.

**xXxXx**

"Look, I'll give you fifteen coins for the five squirrels or I'll go out there and hunt some myself, come back here, and then sell them at a cheaper price and steal all of your customers," I snapped, getting really angry. Honestly, fifteen coins for five squirrels was not nearly enough money, but this was a new guy and I wanted to get as much out of him as I could before he caught on to the ways of trading. Plus I still needed money for firewood.

The trader bit his lip and then sighed. "Fine. Fifteen coins. But next time I will gladly let you go out and hunt them yourself," he said as he wrapped my goods up in paper. I just smiled and thanked him sweetly before stuffing the squirrels in my bag and walking away.

"Impressive, blondie!" Darius mused. "I didn't know you had a haggling bone in you!"

I looked at him, holding back my laughter as I said, "Me either!"

We both laughed as we walked past Greasy Sae. She waved at us and we bid her hello as we passed.

"I just want to get a few more things, and then we can leave," I told Darius. He shrugged and motioned for me to go ahead and go. I walked over to a small stand where an old lady was selling cheap fabric. I envision Ginny's doll in my head and bought enough fabric that would make a decent sized jacket for her doll.

"What could you possibly make with that little fabric?" Darius asked.

"A little jacket for Ginny's doll. Yeah, maybe I could spend my money something more practical, but I know this will make her very happy."

Darius smiled at me for a moment before shaking his head. "You're an amazing sister, you know that?"

My face turned bright red at his compliment. What was happening to me? Darius always compliments me and I normally just brush it off. But today they have all been making me blush! I was about to say something else when Jordyn, an older Peacekeeper, rushed over to us.

"Darius! There's a problem in the square, and we need all the help we can get!" Jordyn looked very rushed, and I could tell whatever it was, he needed to go. He gave me an apologetic look and I just gave him a weak smile and shooed him away. His eyes locked with mine for a minute until he spun around and ran after Jordyn. I watched them leave The Hob before moving on to the next and final item on my list.

**XxXxX**

"I am so stupid, I am so stupid, I am so stupid," I muttered to myself, and I attempted to walk through the streets even though I couldn't see a thing over the pile of firewood I was holding in my arms. My whole upper body screamed at me to set the wood down and take a break, but I was almost home. At least I thought I was.

"Why didn't I bring a wagon or a cart or basket or _anything _really?" I grunted as I hoisted the wood up into a better position. "I seriously hope I'm close to home because I can't do this any longer. Note to self: bring something nex- _OOF!"_ My arms completely gave out on me and the wood went crashing down as I smacked into something. I myself also went crashing to the ground and fell right on my butt.

I sat there, assessing what had just happened. In front of me was a large brick wall, and all around me was the wood I had been carrying. Tears welled in my eyes in anger and I let a few of them escape as I picked myself up. I muttered angrily to myself as I began to pick up the wood. Good thing the ground was dry otherwise most of the wood would have been ruined.

My arms were completely full when I realized I wouldn't be able to pick all the wood up without dropping what I had in my hands. I had to have someone stack the rest for me at The Hob. There was no way I could do it by myself. Upon realizing this, I dropped the wood again and then slid down the wall, letting more tears escape. I was just so mad at myself for forgetting something to carry the wood in.

"Maisie?" An unfamiliar voice called out. "Right? Isn't it Maisie?" I looked up and through my tears I saw Gale Hawthorne standing in front of me, looking confused. I mentally smacked myself in the face. I had hardly ever talked to Gale and now he was watching me cry over spilled wood.

"Are you okay?" He asked cautiously, as if I would explode any second. I sniffled and looked at all the wood around me before bursting out into tears again. He kneeled down besides me.

"What's wrong? Is everything okay?" He sounded concerned now. I shook my head, sniffling again.

"I.. I forgot something to.. to carry the wood.. in. And.. I ran into the.. the wall and dro-dropped everything. An-and now I.. I can't pick it back up!" I said through my small sobs. Gale started at me for a minute before a grin formed on his face.

"It's not funny!" I shouted at him angrily. His smile immediately dropped and he held up his hands as if to surrender. "You're right," he said. "It's not. It's not funny. I'm sorry"

There was a small pause, and then he started laughing again. This time, my lips turned into a smile and the next thing I knew, I was laughing along with him.

I finally calmed down enough to dry the tears on my face and talk properly. "I'm so sorry.. I don't know what overcame me. I can't believe I just cried over dropping a pile of wood," I said, laughing to myself. Gale just shrugged and waved his hand like it was nothing.

"We all have to have a good cry every once in awhile," he said. "So, do you want some help with the wood?" I sighed and smiled apologetically. He stood up and began to pick up some pieces. After all the wood was picked up, the load he was carrying was substantially bigger than mine. But considering the size of his biceps, I didn't think he even noticed.

And as we walked through the streets, silent, I thought about how that was the first time I officially met Gale Hawthorne. And I had been crying over dropped wood. Hopefully first impressions don't stick with him.

But hey, if he wasn't smart enough to leave while he could, maybe there was a real potential for a friendship here. Who knew.

**Alright, well that's it for chapter one! Sorry it's kinda slow and lacking Gale. But I always tend to rush into relationships and the plot when writing, so this time I'm trying my hardest to not do that. I swear Gale will be in it more from now on. And please stop me if I start to rush the story. Please. And another thing: please leave a review! Telling me what you thought, what you'd like to see, and what I can do better! Thanks to everyone who read :}**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

When Gale and I finally reached my house, I saw Darius sitting on the porch, playing with Ginny. I guess she had gotten bored of Posy. She saw us first and jumped up with excitement.

"Maisie! Masie!" She ran over to me, holding an unfamiliar looking doll in her hand. "Looky what Darius got me! Isn't she beautiful? Her name is Maisie, just like you! Darius told me it was a good name because you're beautiful too, just like her!" I couldn't help but notice the doll had straw blonde hair and bright green eyes, as well.

My eyes widened as my face turned pink, and I looked over at Darius. He was rubbing the back of his neck nervously, smiling at me. His smile faltered a bit when he noticed Gale, but only for a second. "Yeah Gin, that's really pretty," I said, my eyes never leaving the redhead. "Make sure you thank him for it."

She nodded. "Oh I did! I thanked him a million billion TRILLION times!"

"Well good." I smiled at Darius. "Well, are you gonna sit there staring at me all day? Or are you going to help me with this wood?" I asked. He stared at me for a few more seconds before standing up. He walked over to me and grabbed a huge chunk of the pile I held in my hands. I nearly moaned at how good it felt to have some of the weight taken off. He placed it down besides my house and Gale and I did the same.

"I'm too tired to stack it right now, so I guess that'll have to wait till later," I sighed, rubbing my shoulders. My arms felt limp from holding all that wood, and I knew tomorrow would be painful. Especially since I wanted to go hunting, and I used a bow to hunt.

"I'll help you with that later," Darius told me before turning to Gale. "Your mom and Posy are in the house, talking with Cyril." Gale nodded and walked past us to enter my small house. Darius turned back to me, his lips turned down in a pout.

"So I leave to take care of some Peacekeeper stuff and you already replace me with Hawthorne? And here I thought our friendship meant more than that to you."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh shut up, you know there's only room in my heart for one idiot," I told him. His pout turned into a grin and he followed closely behind as I walked into the house. I was met with a wave of warmth and smiled as I took my jacket off. My father and Hazelle were sitting at the table sipping on what I assumed was tea.

"Hey papa," I greeted, leaning down to kiss his cheek. I smiled at Hazelle. "And Hazelle." She returned my smile and stood up. She walked over to the kitchen counter and proceeded to pour me a cup of two.

"Make that two, if you wouldn't mind," Darius said, pulling out a chair at the table. He motioned for me to sit in it, and I listened. He took a seat next to me and smiled brightly up at Mrs. Hawthorne when she handed him a cup of tea. I thanked her as well and gladly took a sip. It had lost most of it's warmth from sitting out, but it still tasted wonderful.

"So Gale told me that when he found you, you were in an alleyway crying with wood everywhere," my dad said, clearly trying to hold back laughter. I sighed.

"Go ahead and laugh," I told him. "I forgot to bring something to carry the wood home in, so I had to carry it in my arms. I ran into a wall and dropped everything. Then I couldn't pick it all up again by myself," I explained. "So yeah, Gale found me in quite the position." I laughed quitely to myself.

"Weren't you with her, Darius?" My father asked. Darius shook his head.

"Duty called," he shrugged. My father frowned and leaned in closer.

"Did something happen today?" He asked. Darius bit his lip, debating if he should tell, I could see.

"There was a problem in the merchant section. Group of teens tried to take down a Peacekeeper." He shook his head, looking solemn. I didn't need to ask to figure out what might have happened to those teens.

"Ever since Katniss and Peeta's stunt at the Games that allowed them both to live, people have been acting up. Not even just in Twelve. I've heard reports from almost every district of acts of rebellion. People see that the Capitol isn't punishing Katniss and Peeta, so they try their luck," he shook his head again.

"Good. People are finally starting to realize that we can't just sit here and accept what's happening to us anymore," Gale said. We all looked at him as he stepped into the kitchen. He crossed his arms and his face was stony. Darius' face hardened.

"I don't think you understand what this means. The Capitol knows this is happening and while they aren't doing anything about it at the moment, they're planning something. I don't know what but I know it isn't good. Your girlfriend-"

"She isn't my girlfriend," Gale snapped angrily. Darius just stared at him and started again.

"Your girlfriend started something big, maybe without knowing it, or maybe this was her plan. But either way, this isn't going to end well. And while me and a few other Peacekeepers would gladly up and arms and fight with you guys if it came to it, even more would side with the Capitol. I think you forget that most of the Peacekeepers are _from _the Capitol. They grew up there, surrounded by the belief that the districts need to be kept in line. I was one of the few people that became a Peacekeeper through gaining the trust of the District leader. This isn't going to end well. For anyone."

There was a silence throughout the kitchen, yet the faint laughter of Posy and Ginny could be heard. My dad cleared his throat loudly.

"That's enough of this talk. We're all going to be fine. Maybe the Capitol is just tired of ruining people's lives," he said, looking down at the table. I bit my lip, trying to shake off any bad thoughts or memories. Darius put his hand on my shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"I really hope so, Cyril. I really do."

Gale sighed and ran his hand through his short hair. "I gotta go. I told Katniss I would visit," he said quietly. I stood up, and gave him a small smile. "I'll walk you out," I said. He looked confused for a moment, but nodded. Darius stared at me as I followed Gale out of the house but I ignored him. I shut the door behind me and walked to the end of the yard.

"I just wanted to thank you for helping me out," I said, fidgeting with my hands. He gave me a small smile.

"It was nothing. I'm glad I could help."

"I uh, I also wanted to apologize for Darius. He's been pretty on edge lately, so you'll have to excuse him."

Gale sighed. "As much as I hate to admit it, he does have a point. But I just hope he's wrong."

I smiled a bit. "Well, luckily for us, most of the time he is." That got a smile out of Gale as well and he laughed shortly.

"Well, I won't keep you waiting. But, it was nice to finally officially meet you. After years of our parents being good friends and living right down the street from each other," I said laughing. He nodded, smiling.

"Yeah, it was nice. Well, I'll see you around," he said, waving goodbye. He turned around and started walking down the street towards Victor's Village.

"Yeah.. See ya around," I mumbled.

**XxXxX**

"I'm gonna get you!" Darius shouted, running into the small living room. "AHA! I've got you now!"

A loud squeal could be heard, quickly followed by laughter. Darius returned to the kitchen, with a thrashing Ginny hanging over his shoulder. "Your highness, I've brought you the girl you requested."

"Ah, good!" I tapped my fingers on the table. "Bring her to me." Ginny squealed again and Darius walked over to me and set her down on the table. "Good job, Sir Darius. Now go guard the door so that she doesn't try to escape." He bowed and then went and stood in the doorway.

"Now.. Ginny, is it? My dear Ginny.. It seems that you have defied my orders by refusing to go lay down in your bed. Is there a reason to this?"

"I'm not tired!" She shouted, thrashing her hands.

"Ah, little one, you are. You just refuse to believe it." Ginny shook her head, her decision that she wasn't tired unwavering.

I put my fingers on my chin, thinking. "What if I make a deal with you? Would you be willing to cooperate then?"

Ginny stared at me suspiciously before nodding. "Fine."

"Wonderful! In exchange for you going to bed, Sir Darius will tell you the best bedtime story you've ever heard!"

Ginny wiggled excitedly, clapping her hands. "It's a deal!" I heard Darius try to protest, but I gave him my best puppy dog face and mouthed "Please." Darius glared at me, but quickly replaced it with a smile as he walked over to us.

"Yes, you will have definitely never heard anything quite like this. Come, let's get you all tucked in and ready for bed," he said, sticking out his hand. Ginny grabbed it and hopped down off the table and dragged Darius to our small bedroom. I smiled as I watched them. Sadness washed over me though, as I remembered a scene quite like this one. I shook it off as quickly as possible and joined Darius and Ginny.

Ginny was already changed into her night clothes and tucked into bed when I walked in. I pulled up a chair next to her bedside and sat down. Darius was seated at the foot of the bed, deep in thought about what story he was going to tell. He began to speak, but I zoned out, immersed in my own thoughts.

Was what he said about the Capitol planning a retaliation true? And the rebellions? Were those really happening?

I hadn't actually watched the last Hunger Games, or any for the past 5 years, but I heard what happened plenty of times. Katniss and Peeta planned a joint suicide so that they either both had to win or neither of them did. It had been all people talked about for weeks after. A lot of that was also due to the fact that both were District Twelve victors, but still. I totally understood what Darius said about Katniss and Peeta starting something big. I knew there was no way that the Capitol and President Snow was happy with what happened.

"Maise?" Darius' voice brought me back to the present. I looked up at him and he nodded at a sleeping Ginny. I smiled and leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"Goodnight, my little princess," I whispered. She stirred and I mentally slapped myself for waking her up. She cracked an eye open and smiled sleepily.

"Maisie?" She whispered. I stroked her hair gently.

"Yes princess?"

"I love Darius." This made me smile and I looked over at said red-head, and he was grinning ear to ear.

"I wish he was our brother. I've always wanted a brother," she whispered, slowly falling back to sleep. I froze in my spot, my mind blank. From the corner of my eye, I saw Darius stiffen, his smile dropping from his face. My eyes filled with tears, but I managed to keep them back. I gave Ginny, who had fallen back asleep, one last kiss and then stood up.

Darius reached out to say something, but I brushed him off as I walked past. I just wanted to be alone. I didn't want to talk to him. I slipped on a pair of shoes and made for the door.

"Maise, stop. C'mon, please, just stop for one second. At least take a jacket! Maisie, please!"

I ignored all of his pleas and just kept walking. As soon as I opened the door and the cold air hit my face, I broke out into a run. I started off jogging but as the tears threatened to spill over, I started to sprint.

I wasn't paying attention to where I was running, but I didn't need to. My body knew exactly where to go; what turns I needed to make and what the fastest route was.

I didn't slow down until my legs were screaming at me in protest. I decided that I could finally slow down to a walk. But as soon as I did, the tears spilled over and on to my cheeks. I quickly tried to wipe them away, but they just kept coming. I suddenly got very angry and in my random blind rage, I spun around to the nearest brick wall and just threw a punch. I heard a couple of cracks and gasped out. I didn't feel it yet, but I knew I would soon.

What happened to me? Why did I just do that? Why was I so angry? It couldn't be because of Ginny. She didn't know any better. She didn't know anything. And it couldn't be at Darius. He didn't do anything. So why was I so mad? Who was I mad at? The Capitol? That was the only logical explanation. It had to be that. Them and their sick games that they hold every year for amusement.

"Maisie?" I heard someone say. I groaned, recognizing the voice. Of course I would run into him at a time like this. I turned around and glared at Gale. He took one look at the tears streaming down my face and the arm that was slowly turning purple and ran up closer to me. Someone followed behind him and when she got closer I recognized Katniss Everdeen.

"Maisie what happened? Your arm, its-"

"Probably broken. Come with me back to my house, my mother and sister can look it over and help," Katniss said, putting her hand on my shoulder. I instantly slapped it off with my good hand.

"Don't touch me," I snarled. Katniss stepped back, shock on her face. Gale looked very confused as well. "Do you realize how lucky you are? You made it back from the games, you get to see your family and friends who were forced to watch, worried sick about whether or not you would make it home. Every single time that god forsaken cannon went off, their hearts dropped a bit. And at night, when the pictures of the fallen were shown, they sat at the edge of their seats, hoping and praying your face didn't show up. Well congrats, you're here. You made it," I sneered. What was happening to me? Why couldn't I control what was coming out of my mouth?

Katniss looked like someone slapped her in the face, and Gale's mouth was slightly open. If they thought they were surprised, they should feel what I was feeling. Without another word, I turned around and began running again. With each step, my bad arm throbbed but I didn't stop. I couldn't.

I heard Gale say, "Wait here," and then I heard footsteps following me. He easily caught up to me and grabbed my shoulder forcing me to stop. Before he could say anything though I yanked myself away.

"Go _away_! Please, just leave me alone and GO AWAY," I shouted, shoving him back. I started running again, but this time I didn't hear him follow.

I kept running until the slums of the Seam transformed into a slightly nicer neighborhood. Even in the dark of the night, the change was noticeable. The buildings were bigger, since most of the houses were built over the shops that the residents owned. The streets were nicer and the presence of coal dust wasn't as great as it was in the Seam. It just was cleaner and overall better looking.

Most of the streets were empty and dark, which was nice so I could navigate through without worrying about confrontation. Every once in awhile I'd pass a few people, but for the most part, I was the only one wandering the streets.

When I reached the familiar empty shop, I walked around to the back entrance to avoid the possibility of being seen by anyone. In front of the back door, there was a rug. I picked up the rug and pulled out a small box of matches. The box was slightly damp, but when I felt the matches they were all dry. At least there was one good thing.

I wiggled the doorknob, and to my surprise, it slowly opened. "The Peacekeepers must not have even bother with locking it back," I muttered to myself. I took a deep breath and stepped inside. It wasn't very warm in the shop, but it was warmer than outside. It smelled like old fabric and flowers and I smiled faintly to myself. The windows were boarded up so it was completely black. I fumbled around with the matchbox, holding it in my bad hand, until I was able to light a match to provide light. I walked over to the large desk in the front and opened one of the small drawers, feeling around until my fingers closed around a long candle. I light it and quickly blew out the match before I burnt myself.

I took a look around the empty store, sadness engulfing me. So many memories, mostly good, in this small little shop. As I looked around, I could envision memories of things that happened in certain areas. I could imagine my father sweeping the floor while my mom took care of customers, or sewed to make fabulous clothing. I remembered the time I accidentally broke my mother's favorite flower pot, and my father took the blame for it.

I smiled to myself thinking about that. My mother was so mad and she gave my father the cold shoulder for a week because of it, but he stuck with it so that I didn't get in trouble. Every time we were together he would wink at me and tell me that it was our secret.

Most of the furniture was gone, either sold by us or stolen by looters. Nobody could afford to buy the place after we left so for the past 5 years its just been sitting empty, waiting. I shivered, not really feeling cold though, and wrapped my

I headed up the stairs that led to the actual house and set my candle down so that I could open the door. My bad hand was throbbing and I knew I wouldn't be able to open a door or hold a candle with it. I got the door open, picked my candle up and ventured inside.

There was more furniture left in the small house than there was downstairs, which made me happy because it made the place feel more like home. There was a kitchen, a living room, a bathroom and two bedrooms, along with a small deck that looked out over the street.

I walked down the hall and entered the smaller of the two bedrooms. The same sheets I used when we lived here were still sitting neatly on the bed. The pillow was gone, however. Along with all of the toys that were once scattered on my side of the room. In between the two beds in the room was a small bedside table. A single lamp sat on top, yet there was no bulb inside so it no longer would provide light. I knelt down and opened the small drawer, pulling out a yellowing envelope. _Maisie _was scrawled across the front in sloppy, fast handwriting.

I pulled out the contents- a picture and letter. Once again tears filled my eyes as I took a seat on the bed opposite of mine. I put the letter aside, and stared at the photograph. I didn't bother holding back the tears, I just let them fall and drip down onto the picture.

I heard the door open and close and soft footsteps out in the hallway. I didn't bother moving though, because I knew exactly who it was. I didn't even look up when I saw the tall silhouette in the doorway.

"I miss him so much Darius," I said quietly, my voice cracking. Darius stepped into the candlelight. He looked tired and sad. I hadn't seen him look that way since that day five years ago. He sat down next to me on the bed and put an arm around my shoulder. I didn't try and fight him off like I had earlier.

"Me too, Maise. Everyday," he whispered. I lost it then, and pressed my face into his chest and began to sob. Darius shifted himself so that he was up against a wall, and then he pulled me into his lap. He wrapped both arms around me and let me cry into his shirt. He placed his head on mine and pretty soon, I felt my hair start to get wet, telling me that he too was crying.

I let go of the picture, letting it flutter to bed. All that could be heard was the sound of my loud sobbing as two young, smiling faces stared up at us. One was me, only thirteen years old. My blonde hair was short and my smile was huge and genuine. I had my small, skinny arms wrapped around a taller boy, who also had bright blonde hair and a huge smile. The picture was of my brother Harper and I, and it was taken just a few days before he was reaped into the 71st Hunger Games. He was only sixteen.

**Alright, well that wraps up another chapter! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, favorited and/or followed this story! It means a lot to me! I love to know people are reading :) But keep that up! I want to hear feedback, whether it's good or bad! I know my chapters are short (well for me they are) but shorter chapters means quicker updates! So hopefully that's okay. And also, I would just like to say that I'm not trying to copy Katniss with Maisie's hunting weapon of choice, the bow. I just personally love the bow and whenever I have an OC that needs/uses a weapon, it's ALWAYS the bow. So I just thought I'd put that out there. Alright, well thanks again! And be sure to leave a review for this chapter! Have a great Thanksgiving everyone! (if you celebrate of course!) **


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